And guys, I do think it is a good idea to take part of the THESTUDENTROOM website, in order to share ideas an information about what you are doing and what is happening around the world...Give it a try!

The IB offers both an SL and an HL ITGS course. One stated aim of this course is to “develop an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of new technologies as methods of expanding our knowledge of the world at the local and global level”. ITGS is not a classical computer course where students learn to use different application software or programming; rather, it is a course that attempts to integrate social and ethical issues related to an IT system with different areas of impact.

Practical computer work is conducted while researching for the project at Standard Level. At the Higher Level students create a portfolio of analysed articles one of which is extended to include first hand research of the topic.

ESSAY Update:1. You must only discuss ONE SOLUTION! not give a list of possiblities.2. Do not include bullet points or hyperlinks in the essay.3. Do not list anything under resources if it has not been cited in the main body of the text as a footnote or as an author, date citation eg (Lindsay, 2006)4. There is still a lot of work to do.

I suggest you pretend you are writing an article for a top IT magazine. The readers of this magazine are tech savvy generally but do not know a lot about what you are writing. Therefore keep the writing slick but informative!

A reminder that ALL resources listed must be used to construct your essay. You must refer to each one of them somewhere in the text via footnote or (Lindsay, 2006) author/date style. I suggest the latter is best.

* A portfolio consisting of 3 pieces of written work each piece analysing the social and ethical issues of a particular news article relating to an IT system with one piece extended by students interviewing stakeholders and commenting on their point of view (20% - HL only)

* A project consisting of three parts (product, report and log book) which will produce a solution to a problem, with a written report on how it was produced and a log book to chronologically document the steps taken (30% - SL only)

KNOWLEDGE CONTENT:

* Develop an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of new technologies as methods of expanding our knowledge of the world at the local and global level

* Promote understanding of the social significance of information technology for individuals, communities and organisations

* Analyse and evaluate the ethical considerations arising from the widespread use of information technology at the local and global level

* Recognise that people can hold diverse opinions about the impact of information technology on individuals and societies

SKILLS CONTENT:

* Understand and critically examine the global impacts of IT developments

* Demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the social and ethical implications of IT systems and developments at the local, global and national level

* Analyse and evaluate the social and ethical implications of IT developments

* Analyse and evaluate relevant examples of the global impact of IT in a portfolio of individually researched studies

• Disposal of hazardous computer components• Forecasting weather• Uses of IT in cars (wireless communication, navigation systems, and biometrics)• Using robots to help those with disabilities• Using automatic monitoring systems to collect data on water levels in rivers

Yes Hiral... but prepare yourself for the Mock Exams paper 1 and 2 - do as much as old papers as you can find on line... I pasted some addresses in one of the last posts here...

All I want you to do - you all - is to try to make as many old papers as you can - and think about the COMMAND TERMS - AREAS OF IMPACT and SOCIAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES.

I have placed lots of information for you here in the blog... it is just a matter of discipline and effort now to get ready for mock exams...

And JoshYou have to have your topic decided already when we come back... and we all must start to think about the INTERVIEW bit - that I also gave information for you here in the blog about how to set up the intervies and example of questions...

Hi Hiral...Hope u had a great Christmas time. Sorry for the delay to answer as I have been abroad. But anywayI think it is fine with the information u said already. Dont forget the important thing that is your notebook.Have a great New Year and I will see you all soon.

Sir:As school is closed tomorrow, when would u like to see me regarding my ITGS project?Do you come in on Fridays? If you do I could see you between 1.45-4.30, providing school is open.However, if you don't work on Friday then after mocks? Thursday 28th Jan 9.10am?

Charlie and MattTry to find some examples of PAPER 1 on line, apart of the one I gave you, for your practicing and I will try to meet you on Monday for a quick chat... if any problems let me know please...

Your portfolio will consist of three pieces of work, each based on a different news item, and produced as a result of your own research and discussion. The use of a news item as the basis of the piece of work is to encourage you to examine the impact of IT on everyday events at the local, national and global level. The emphasis is on the social and ethical considerations that arise from the widespread use of IT in society. Use the same methods for analyzing these social impacts and ethical considerations of IT that we use in class.Requirements

Your portfolio will consist of three pieces of written work. Each piece of work must be based on a different area of impact:

1. Business and employment 2. Education 3. Health 4. Arts, entertainment and leisure 5. Science and the environment 6. Politics and government

Each piece should be 800 - 1000 words in length, although the list of references at the end is not included in the word count. Each piece must be based on a news item published not more than six months prior to the commencement of the course and must be written in English. You should select your own news items, although I can direct you to appropriate sources. Two of you may use the same news item for their stimulus material, but collaborative work is not allowed. News items used as the basis for class discussion must not be used for the individual piece of work. The news item can be taken from any published source (newspaper, journal, the Internet) and should be a short article or extract. Your piece of work must focus on the content and context presented in the news item. For example, if the news item is about the use of an IT system in a hospital and you identify social and ethical issues related to security and integrity of data, these must be examined in the context of a hospital as presented in the news item. The piece of work must not be a general discussion of these issues in any situation. The news item must be attached to the piece of work. If you use only selected parts of a longer article, these should be highlighted on the news item that we send to the coursework moderator. Unfortunately, a mark of zero gets awarded if the piece of work is not based on a news item.Presentation

Each piece of work must address these assessment criteria:

* A Presentation of the Issue * B The IT Background of the Issue * C The Impact of the Issue * D Solutions to Problems Arising from the Issue * E Selection and Use of Sources * F Expression of Ideas Relevant to the Social Issue

These assessment criteria headings above must be used as sub-headings in each of the pieces of work which is included in the portfolio. This method enables you to present your work in a structured and coherent way.

Each news item may raise one or more social or ethical issues related to an IT system and you should present these issues in the first section. It is essential that you relate the issues to the specific context presented in the news item. Not every news item will present both social and ethical issues but across the three pieces of work in the portfolio you must ensure that both social and ethical issues are examined. You must always make it clear which area of impact (see above) the news item is linked to.

In the second section, you present the IT background of the issue, referring to concepts, developments and trends in IT.

In the third section, you consider the impact of the issue on society. This may be at the local, national or global level depending on the focus of the news item. The use of IT in a particular area is likely to bring both advantages and disadvantages which the news item may or may not discuss directly. You should consider both advantages and disadvantages. It is important that you identify at least one problem related to the use of IT in this area of impact because this leads into the next section.

In the fourth section, you look for two solutions to one problem identified in the previous section. At least one of these solutions must be IT related.

It is essential that you undertake further research into the issues raised by the news item and a minimum of three other sources in addition to the news item should be used. You should place a list of these further resources in the last section.Record Keeping

Each portfolio piece must be presented in chronological order. The following information must be provided for each piece:

* Title * Date completed * Area of impact to which the piece is related * Number of words

Practise your first portfolio reports using this instruction sheet.

Find a template for a portfolio write-up hereTHE PORTFOLIO EXTENSIONIntroduction

The extension to the portfolio consists of an interview undertaken to investigate an issue raised in one of the portfolio pieces. You will be expected to relate the results of the interview to your research in the original portfolio piece. The structured interview can be conducted using a range of methods such as personal interview, responses by e-mail, phone or fax. Where appropriate, you may wish to conduct more than one interview and compare the different perspectives.Requirements

The portfolio extension should be 800 to 1 000 words in length. This does not include the appendix. It consists of a report and an appendix that contains the questionnaire and the summary of the interview(s) (transcript with questions and answers, summary of responses, quotes). You are allowed to determine the most appropriate format for reporting the interview. The summary of the interview must include a header with the name of the person interviewed, qualification/position, name/address of organization, date/place of interview.

As a result of the interview, you may wish to interview up to two other individuals who are knowledgeable about the issue and may contribute supportive or conflicting views. Full transcripts are not necessary for these. You should provide fully referenced summaries and quotes to support your findings. If the portfolio extension is obviously greater than the word limit, the external moderation will be based on the first 1 000 words.Presentation

* a cover sheet that clearly identifies the portfolio title and the issue being addressed * a report addressing the assessment criteria * an appendix containing the summary of the interview(s).

The report must be written using the marking criteria headings:

* Introduction Introduce the issue and the interview here, not in the next section. State who the interviewee(s) is/are, his/her/their qualifications and why the choice is appropriate. No more than 100 words. * N. Discussion and analysis of the interview (3 marks) Discuss the interview and refer to the summary of the interview with an extensive analysis. Not just a summary, a discussion. In depth analysis, grouping and contrasting views and supporting examples. This is easier when there is more than one interview. * O. Reflection on the interview (4 marks) Give an extensive reflection on ideas arising from the interview and apply them to the portfolio research item with supportive examples, and establish new relationships with the previous work (e.g. a changed perception of an impact, a new appreciation of a side effects of a possible solution or a new solution not considered before). * P. Projection of broader implications from the interview and portfolio research (4 marks) There should be an extensive projection of the implications as a result of the interview and the portfolio research with supportive examples. This is your opinion of the future implications, all of which must be supported with evidence from the research or interview(s).

You also receive marks (but do not need a section) for:

* The interview process (appropriateness of the choice of the interviewee, appropriateness of the interview questions, comprehensive record of the interview(s)) (7 marks) * Quality of communication (2 marks) Show you can express arguments in a coherent and structured manner.

What are computer systems, how are they used, how are they abused, why have they become so important so quickly and is their widespread use that desirable?

1. What is the value of information? * This task requires you to start a word processed document called The Value of Information. Use sources such as Wikipedia if necessary. Divide your document into these sections: 1. What is the military importance of information? Research the Battle of Toulouse (1814) and the Battle of New Orleans (1812). Summarize the impact of the slow arrival of information in these cases. Similarly, in one or a few sentences, summarize the impact of the Zimmermann telegram and the Enigma machine on the outcome of the First and Second World Wars. 2. What is the cultural importance of information? Try to research aboriginal Australian songlines and summarize their value in a society without writing. 3. How economically valuable is information these days? Skim read this research paper. In your document, note three things that strike you from the report. Also define what the pupose of the Abstract is and describe how the author is referring to other people's work. 4. How personally valuable is information? Summarize this news report in as few words as possible. Similarly for this story about recent loss of data in the U. K

YOU TWO HAVE UNTIL FRIDAY THIS WEEK (19/03/2010) TO GIVE ME ALL YOUR MISSING WORK - FROM INTERNAL ASSESSMENT - FOR MARKS. I CAN NOT WAIT ANYMORE. AFTER THIS FRIDAY I WILL MARK WHATEVER IS MISSING AS 0 (ZERO).

1. Do you think home computers strengthen families and communities? Explain. 2. Do you think home computers in the future will make people more or less creative? Why? 3. Do you think educational games and gaming in general are good ways for studnets to learn in school? at home? Give reasons and examples to support your ideas.

This Business and Employment essay is a complete nightmare and I'm struggling on B,C and D. Still not 100% what I'm supposed to be writing about whether apps are stifling creativity or whether apple and android are supposed to be controlling the pace and design of the apps...